Shattered Hearts
by klaroline-heaven
Summary: Lady Caroline Forbes is married to the man she loves, but there is one problem- it seems like he does not love her back. It seems like he despises her, but under all of that, a love story of the century arises. Her heart breaks, his heart is broken.
1. Chapter 1

Hey y'all! So, this is a new fanfic that I cam up with and it takes place in regency London, so I hope you guys will enjoy it because I really love writing these type of fanfics! I would like to thank Cindy for the manip that she made for me a while back, it wasn't meant for this story, but I think it'll fit alright, for now :)

Shattered Hearts

Lady Caroline Forbes is married to the man she loves, but there is one problem- it seems like he does not love her back. It seems like he despises her, but under all of that, a love story of the century arises. Her heart breaks, his heart is broken.

I got this idea while I was listening to the song So Cold by Ben Cocks, so I recommend if you want to actually feel what's going on in this fanfic, you should listen to that awesome song while reading :D

Enjoy!

:)

* * *

><p><strong>London, 1815<strong>

The lady of the manor sat in her husband's study as the fire shimmered in the fireplace. The only light she could make out in the darkness was that which came from the orange embers.

With a sad sigh, she rested her head against the chair and absentmindedly placed her hand on her still-flat belly.

She knew that she and her husband were foolish because they married for love, or at least that was what they thought they felt during their courtship. Of course, she now understood that what they felt during that blissful period was nothing but lust for one another and it seemed that as soon as her husband was satiated with her ability or lack thereof in their marriage bed, he completely forgot about her. After all, she realized that as newlyweds her husband would make an effort to make it home before supper and stay up with her until they retired to their bed which then led to a night of hot passion, but now he barely made an effort to get home and when he did, he would have supper with her in complete silence and soon thereafter would leave only to return in the early morning hours.

Even though, Lady Caroline did not want to believe the rumors, she could not help but wonder if they were true.

She knew nothing of her husband's whereabouts and considering the late hour, she could only assume that he was either at the men's club or with a mistress.

At the thought of her husband having a mistress broke her heart and she felt the tears forming in her eyes. During their courtship, Lord Niklaus Mikaelson treated her with respect and actually listened to what she had to say which only made her fall in love with him quicker than she expected. At first, she was hesitant to allow Niklaus to advance in their courtship because of the rumors spread by the ton. People believed that he was a first-class rake that gambled and spent money on his mistresses without so much as a second thought, but once she got to know him, she realized that he was not as bad as others believed him to be- that is until three months into their marriage.

The blonde knew not what to do, especially now that she was with child... She did promise herself that when she married, she would marry for love and she did, but it felt more one-sided than anything else. With a sigh, she thought about what she could do... After growing up in a family where her parents could barely stand the sight of one another which only led to heartbreak on both sides, she understood that when she had children, she would make sure that the family that they were to grow up in would be warm and cozy and nothing like the empty and cold one that she grew up in. Unfortunately, she felt alone even now and her home was too big to bring her any assurance of safety and warmth.

Caroline knew that for the most part, noblemen that were married kept mistresses. After all, it was not looked down upon because most people married to solidify matters that did not come from the heart. Those men with titles did need an heir and the only way they could succeed in that matter was if they married a respectable lady. The people in society looked upon matters in the same way for the most part and it was well known that women took lovers as well after their husbands grew far too distant to show them any further attention.

Caroline did not want another lover, though. She wanted her husband to see her for who she was and knowing that he did not was not something that she wanted to believe.

Before she could dwell on the matter further, she heard the sound of knocking coming from the foyer and as she stood up, she felt a dizziness overwhelm her before she collapsed on the divan. She shut her eyes for a minute and when she reopened them, she no longer felt like she was going to faint.

With a sigh of relief, she relaxed into the divan and shut her eyes once again. Soon after, the butler that went by the name of Gregory opened the door and she heard her husband's voice.

She quickly got into a sitting position as she straightened her back out and placed her hands on her knees before she looked towards the door of the study. She waited for Klaus' arrival and as she heard his footsteps, she smiled. She knew that she had to give him the benefit of the doubt even though it would probably break her heart further when she truly did find out if he was keeping a mistress on the side and spending their money on unnecessary things.

As he turned the knob on the door, he entered and walked right over to his table and she realized that he did not even know that she was there.

Without making a sound, she heard him rummage around in his pocket for something and then the light coming from the fire caught a navy blue velvet box. The blonde's heart swelled in her chest because maybe Klaus was finally going to make an effort to apologize for being such a terrible husband to her.

Caroline watched him place the jewelry box in the center of the table before he reached for a blank sheet of paper and dipped the quill into the ink.

He wrote something down quickly and blew on the piece of paper for a little while before he left the study without looking around.

As soon as the door closed, Caroline stood up and shook her head because why would he even bother to look around his study for her when she was supposed to be laying on her chaise and dreaming her seventh dream for the night.

The blonde decided that it was time to retire to her chambers because it seemed like Klaus would not be seeking her out because she could tell just how tired he was. As she was making her way towards the door, she stopped with her hand on the door knob and looked back at the mahogany table and before she could stop herself, she was walking to his desk.

Once there, she looked down at the piece of paper and read what the letter said. Immediately, her eyes filled with tears- not joyous tears, but those of sorrow because of what the letter said:

_C-_

_Forgive me for not being the greatest protector, I do so hope that you will forgive me with this gift that I give you and that when we see one another next, I will put extra effort into showing you just how much I care for you. After all, I have been known to be a rather generous lover especially to a beautiful mistress such as yourself._

_Sincerely,_

_Nik_

Caroline ripped up the letter that the oaf wrote for his bloody mistress and immediately threw the box across the room before she marched out of his study. Her tears fell freely and she rested her hand on her stomach in a possessive manner.

The startled butler looked over at her and her eyes narrowed in his direction.

"Retire to your bed chambers, Gregory." Caroline ordered even though the kind old man didn't deserve that type of treated.

"Yes, my lady." He replied hastily before he scurried off.

Once Caroline was alone in the foyer, she took the stairs two at a time even though she knew that she had to be careful.

She spotted her husband's door and walked over to it before she pushed it open.

* * *

><p>Niklaus Mikaelson walked over to his chaise, bare-chested and got under the soft covers and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he shut his eyes.<p>

As he was falling asleep, he felt his door rattle and his eyes immediately shot open before he pushed himself up with the support of his elbows.

His wife stood there with her blonde hair in disarray and she wore nothing but her robe and thin chemise. If looks could kill, Klaus realized that he would surely be a pile of ash by now.

"You dare to barge into my bedchamber without so much as a knock?" He questioned as he eyed her with narrowed eyes.

"You do not have the right to talk, Niklaus." She spat as her little hands fisted on either side of her.

"If anybody has no right to talk, it is you, sweetheart." He corrected as he stood up and crossed his arms over his lean chest.

"Did our wedding vows mean nothing to you?" She questioned as her voice cracked under all of the stress that she was feeling.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about, Caroline?"

"You asked me to marry you and I accepted."

"I know that." He told her as he eyed her as if she belonged in bedlam. "I do not see what that has to do with why you barged into my chamber, uninvited."

"I sat up and waited for you in your study." She clarified and Klaus' eyes widened as his jaw dropped slightly because he didn't even notice her there.

"If you were there, you saw what I left on the desk."

"Yes," she nodded. "I also read your note, husband. Truly, I must applaud you for making a complete fool out of me. I actually believed you loved me, but what we had was never love, was it? I was the naive romantic that wanted to find a husband that would love me for who I was, but that didn't happen. You used your charm and sweet words to have me accept your offer of marriage and I did it without so much as a second thought and now I find out that you are wasting _our _money on some whore you met? Absolutely fantastic, I must say." She finished with a sneer.

"Are you done?" He questioned as his voice took on a dangerously low tone.

"No, I am not done!" She shouted. "I want an annulment and I can care less about what the ton will think of it."

"We will not get a divorce, Caroline." Klaus replied, his voice even.

"Actually, I believe we will." Caroline responded, her voice never wavering because she refused to back down under his scrutinizing gaze.

He stalked over to her and she backed away from him before her backside made contact with the wall.

Klaus placed his hands on either side of her head and he shook his head.

"I will not allow a scandal to fall upon my family because _my wife _seems to think that whatever it is she wishes, I will grant." He told her with finality.

Caroline spit in his face before she pushed him away with everything that she had, but he barely even took a step back before he grabbed her arms and shook her.

"What the bloody hell is going on with you!?" He shouted his question through gritted teeth.

"You promised!" She cried out as she began crying hysterically.

Klaus looked at his wife with his eyes wide because she never reacted in such a way before and even though it made him feel terrible to be the reason as to why she was crying, he was not going to allow her to act as if she had control over their relationship because she certainly did not.

"I may have promised some things that I did not mean and all you can do about it is get over it. We have appearances that must be put on, wife, and it would be wise of you to act the dutiful wife that you have to be."

"I hate you," she told him, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Maybe," he shrugged even though his heart tugged at his chest. "But you do not have a choice. You are stuck with me forever, Caroline."

"No," she shook her head. "I refuse to stand idly by while you gamble and fuck those whores of yours. Who is this C woman, anyway?"

"You are a lady, Caroline. Do not forget that." He ordered. "And if you must know, her name is Cecilia and she does whatever it is that I want her to do." He told her, a mocking smile on his lips.

Klaus knew that he was being terribly inconsiderate of her feelings, but if that meant that she would leave him alone to straighten his problems out, that would be helpful.

"Screw you," she hissed as she tried and push him away yet again.

This time, he let her go.

* * *

><p>There you have it! So, should I continue it, or no?<p>

Please Leave Feedback!

~Hana :p


	2. Chapter 2

Hey y'all! So, I am finally back with the second chapter and I do apologize... I would have had it up sooner, but I got sick and had very little strength to much else than sneeze, lmao.

I would like to thank whoopitsklaroline for the new cover that she made for me! Enjoy :)

* * *

><p>As soon as Caroline got to her bedchambers, she walked over to her chaise and sat down on the edge before she placed her hands in her lap.<p>

She could feel the rapid beating of her heart in her chest and she felt as if it was going to leap out of her if she didn't find a way to relax within the next couple of seconds.

She placed one hand on her stomach and that was all she needed to force herself to relax. After all, she had another life that she needed to take care of for the next couple of months.

The blonde inhaled a couple of deep breaths and exhaled them just as slowly. Before she knew it, her heartbeat was back to its normal rhythm and she sighed in relief. Caroline knew that if she was to continue being under a state of distress, she would suffer the consequences as would her unborn child. Yes, the child was hers and she refused to notify her arse of a husband of his impending fatherhood. It was bad enough that he seemed to feel no remorse when speaking about his mistress and it was a complete different thing to allow him to dictate her life for the upcoming months because she knew for certain that he would because he did need an heir.

On the other hand, perhaps it would be wise if she was to tell him about her condition because that way he would probably stop acting so smug and careless around her. The blonde bit down on her bottom lip because she did not know what it is that she should do. She didn't know if it would be wise to keep the secret about her pregnancy until she started showing or to tell him that he was going to be a father.

As she ran her fingers through the blonde curls that cascaded down her back, she stood up and walked over to the window. She looked out into the garden before her eyes shot up to sky and she shook her head.

"Nana, I wish you were here." She whispered under her breath. "You would surely give me advice that would be helpful."

With those final words, she removed her robe before she walked over to her chaise and got under the soft covers.

As she dozed off, the memory of her first kiss with her husband flashed through her mind.

* * *

><p><em>A couple of months ago:<em>

_Caroline sat in the drawing room with her hands together and placed them on her lap as she listened to her mother arguing with her father. She knew that she would be able to tune it out if she tried hard enough, but for some reason she didn't even bother._

_She felt as if there was no point in trying to tune out the hurtful words that her parents threw at one another as if they meant nothing. Caroline knew that at one point, her parents loved one another, but she realized that as she began getting older, the laughter that once filled the halls and the bright smiles that her parents shared seemed to be from another lifetime. For all Caroline knew, her parents despised one another with a burning passion and would continue to do so until their last breaths._

_It was sad to think about, but she knew it to be true. Even though Caroline did not want to admit it, she felt that the wedge between her parents was because of her. She survived and the little brother that would be five years her junior didn't. He died in her mother's womb and when the time came, the news hit her father harder than she expected. Of course, Caroline knew even as a tiny girl of only five years that a boy's death was something that a father took to heart. Sometimes she even wished that her brother was her parents first child and she was the one that perished. Maybe then, her father would be happy and wouldn't look at her as if she belonged on the streets with the beggars._

_With a shake of her head, she shook the negative thoughts from her mind and as she reached for her book, she heard a knock on the door._

_The butler answered the door and she heard Niklaus Mikaelson's voice. Her heart sped up and she felt her palms grow clammy. She wiped her palms on her blue day dress, but it did nothing to calm her nerves._

_Caroline was growing giddy just thinking about the sound of his voice and the laugh that seemed to carry through the biggest of ballrooms. She was definitely surprised that he was even courting her because it seemed like the blonde didn't fit his category of women he would want to wed._

"_Lord Niklaus Mikaelson, my lady." The butler said as he drew open the mahogany doors. Behind him stood the man that was constantly featured in her not-so-lady-like dreams and it seemed like it was too good to be true._

"_My lady," Klaus said as he walked over to her like a true gentleman would with his held high and his shoulders out._

_He reached for her hand and she desperately hope that he didn't feel the clamminess on her palms. It seemed like he didn't because instead of drawing back in disgust, he lower his face and pressed his lips to her knuckles._

"_Beautiful," he whispered and she knew that it was only for her ears to hear._

_Caroline felt a blush creep onto her cheeks and she swallowed before their eyes met yet again. Her bright blue eyes were curious and his stormy blue-gray eyes were smiling._

"_I was wondering if you would join me for a ride in Hyde Park today, Lady Caroline." He told her._

"_I would love to," she responded, feeling bolder than she usually did._

"_Fantastic," he smiled._

_Caroline smiled back at him, but her smile fell as soon as she heard her parents voices rising yet again._

"_Is everything alright?" He questioned, genuinely worried._

"_Just some trouble in paradise, I am afraid." She answered with a laugh even though she didn't feel like laughing._

_It was bad enough that her parents fought like dogs around her, but it was a completely different manner when they couldn't even act like the noble people that they were in somebody's presence._

_Of course, they probably did not know that there was a caller in their drawing room, but still._

"_Ah," he replied, a knowing glint in his beautiful eyes. "Parents now in days…" He shook his head._

_Caroline smiled and Klaus looked over at the butler with a smile on his luscious lips that were oh-so-full. The butler seemed to stand up taller even though he was only about five feet and Klaus chuckled before he patted the older man on the shoulder._

"_Shall we head out?" Klaus wondered._

"_Of course," she nodded. "Allow me to call for my abigail and then we can be on our way."_

"_Alright," he nodded. "Although, I was hoping for some alone time."_

_Caroline's cheeks turned a scarlet red and she looked down at her feet before she gathered enough courage to look at his face._

"_My intentions are innocent, Lady Caroline. Surely, you believe that." He told her as he smiled and crossed his arms over his chest._

_"I do, my lord." She quickly clarified. "But, perhaps it would be wise if my abigail came along with us. What will the ton think?"_

_"Certainly, they will think it is a scandal, but do you really care, my lady? If you do, I understand, but for some unknown reason I always thought that even though you are a proper lady of good breeding, you would still throw caution to the wind on some occasions if necessary."_

_"I must admit that you are quite right about how I act in some cases..." She sighed as she thought about what to say next. "Very well, my lord. I will accompany you on a ride through Hyde Park without a chaperone. I am sure that Annalise has things that she must attend to, anyway."_

_"Are you certain, Lady Caroline?" He questioned. "I do not wish to pressure you into agreeing for a ride without a chaperone present."_

_"You are not pressuring me, my lord." She reassured him, her voice genuine. "And anyway, perhaps we can finally talk about things that actually matter rather than the polite chit-chat we usually whisper about while dancing... After all, tis not proper to speak about matters that actually matter." She told him as a smile curved her delicious looking lips._

_"Indeed," he beamed as he outstretched his hand for her to take._

_Caroline did so with a polite curtsy and he tucked her hand under his arm as they made their way out of the drawing room._

_Once outside, they made their way to the stables and Klaus reached for a sidesaddle, but Caroline shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest._

"_My lord, I can ride in an actual saddle as well as any man. You included,"_

"_Is that so?" He questioned as his eyebrows drew up and he smiled widely. "Well then let us head on out, but I do believe that the ton will talk when they see a lady riding in an actual saddle."_

"_Let them talk," she replied because she hated the way society saw women as weaker than men and far more inferior. _

"_Another reason as to why I fancy you so, my lady." He clarified as they got on their horses._

"_Thank you," she said. _

"_Are you comfortable in that gown, Lady Caroline? I can wait while you change into something less, well- big, I guess."_

_Caroline burst out laughing and shook her head as she wiped the tear that was trailing down her cheek._

"_I am quite comfortable, my lord." She told him, her voice genuine. "Shall we go?"_

"_Yes," he nodded._

_The two took off towards Hyde Park and as they were approaching their destination, Caroline stopped her horse._

"_Is everything alright, my lady?" Klaus asked as he watched her with confusion in his eyes._

"_Quite," she answered. "I was just wondering if we could perhaps ride in an area that is not as populated."_

"_Of course," he told her. "I do not feel like saying hello to every other person, after all."_

"_And that is another reason why I fancy living in the country more than I do in the city."_

"_I am more of a city gentleman myself, but we all have our own preferences. Only god knows that every individual needs time away from the ton."_

"_Indeed," she agreed as they entered the park and took the path that led to a clearing that was not as populated._

_For the next thirty minutes, they rode their horses in a comfortable silence and spoke of the different things that they enjoyed._

_Caroline realized that they had a lot in common as well which made her feel a lot more comfortable in his presence._

_Eventually, they decided to stop by the boulder because they wanted to catch a breather._

_As they got off of their horses, they smiled at one another. Caroline led her horse to the edge of the river and the beast seemed to drink the water with gusto. Klaus followed in the blonde's footsteps and once their horses were content, they sat down beside one another._

_"I have had a pleasant day, my lord." Caroline told him, her voice genuine._

_"That is very good to hear, my lady, but please do call my Klaus."_

_"Of course," she smiled. "But only if you agree to call me Caroline."_

_"Happily, Caroline." He reassured her. "It has been quite the eye opener this day."_

_"Is that so? In what way, my lo- Klaus?"_

"_I have finally found the person I believe I was looking for." He told her, his voice sounding as genuine as ever._

"_Whatever do you mean?" She questioned as her eyes widened in alarm._

_His eyes roamed down to her lips and she saw his swallow as he moved closer to her person. Her breath caught in her throat when he placed his rough, warm hand on her cheek in a caress. _

"_Kla- Klaus…" She stammered, not knowing what to do._

"_May I kiss you, Caroline?" He questioned, his voice hopeful as his face moved closer to hers._

"_I- I…" She tried to form a competent sentence without much success._

_Before she could dwell on his question further, she felt his lips press gently against her own. At first, she did not know how to react, but when he nipped at her lower lip, her lips parted slightly, but gave him enough space to dip his tongue into the dark recesses of her mouth._

_Caroline reacted then as she pulled him closer and looped her arms around his neck in an attempt to bring him closer._

_They kissed for a couple of more seconds, but when they heard voices, they jumped apart._

_Caroline's cheeks were a crimson red and she kept her eyes downcast until the voices sounded in the distance._

"_Marvelous," he simply told her as he stood and outstretched his hand for her to take._

"_My lord, I- I am sorry to have, um, well…"_

_Klaus let out a throaty chuckle and he shook his head in an attempt to reassure her that their kiss was everything that he believed it would be._

"_May I call on you again tomorrow, Caroline?" _

"_Yes," she smiled, the relief evident in her voice._

* * *

><p>Present:<p>

Caroline's eyes shot open when she heard her husband's yell. Feeling slightly disoriented and lost, she looked around her dark room and realized that it was still early morning.

She stood up and quickly went over to the door that joined their rooms. As she pushed it open, she spotted her husband thrashing on his chaise and quickly ran over to him.

Her eyes were wide as she climbed on the chaise and as soon as she was within reach, she placed her hand on his shoulder.

His body stilled under her touch and his eyes shot open. He looked around the bedchamber with his eyes wide and then his gaze landed on her. She could have sworn that she saw a look of content in his eyes, but that was quickly masked with the dangerous look that he gave her and she almost believed that the look that he gave her beforehand was but a trick of the night.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned, his voice cold and distant.

"You- you were yelling and I got scared." She told him as she kept her voice gentle even though she was tired of having him act so cold.

"I was not yelling." He snapped. "You were hearing things." Her husband added, sounding like the man she was growing to hate with a passion.

"But you were thrashing on the chaise… You were having a nightmare!" She cried out as she tried to get through to him.

"Love, do not act as if you are some intelligent woman that knows what I was going through. I do not have nightmares and what you saw was certainly not a nightmare. I was perfectly fine until you came in here." He told her as he looked down at the hand that was still on his shoulder with disgust.

Caroline flinched away from him and quickly removed her hand before she stood up off the chaise.

"My apologies," she simply said before she turned away from him and walked over to the door. "I will dare not touch you again considering how much it seems to repel you." She told him finally before she left him alone in his bedchamber.

Once Caroline was alone in her bedchamber, she walked over to her chaise and sat down on the edge before she shut her eyes. A couple of minutes later, she got under the covers and cried herself to sleep because the man that she loved could barely stand her touch.

* * *

><p>There you have it! I know some of you may think that I am making Caroline a weak character, but rest assured that I am not. Also, in the next chapter we will have a look into Klaus's thoughts and see what his nightmare was about!<p>

Please Leave Feedback :)

~Hana :p


	3. Chapter 3

Hey y'all, here is the next chapter to this fic and just in time for three years of klaroline! Enjoy :)

* * *

><p>As soon as Klaus was certain that his wife was asleep, he got up off of the chaise and walked over to his window.<p>

As he looked down into the garden, he sighed heavily because he knew that he was treating his wife terribly. In all honesty, he knew that she did not deserve to be treated in such a way. After all, she was the perfect wife and deserved only the best. Before his marriage to the beauty in the next room, he was obsessed with her. Her innocence was like an opiate to him and the happiness in her bright blue eyes drew him in like no other. Her blonde curls resembled an angel's halo and the way her cheeks turned crimson when he looked at her with a seductive glint in his eyes, but he was now beginning to realize that every time he gave her that look now in days, she looked away with disgust in her eyes.

If he was being completely honest with himself, he knew that it was entirely his fault. After all, he treated her as if she was some lowly servant, but what else could he do? It wasn't like he could go on up to the roof and yell to the ton just how much he really loved his intelligent, beautiful, and incredible wife. He knew that he was acting like the biggest of fools, but he had to push her away for her own safety.

It was never his intention to fall in love with the woman in the next room, but as soon as he called on her that first time, he was obsessed and couldn't shake her off.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't immediately hear the quiet sobs coming from the other room. His heart tugged at his chest as he slowly crept towards the adjoining door making sure that he was being quiet.

He put his hand on the door knob and pulled the door open halfway.

Caroline was lying on her side and her back was towards the door. Her tears were now falling freely and she held the sheets tightly as her frame shook. At 5'8, Caroline looked half her size as she lay in a fetal position.

"I'm sorry," Klaus mouthed before he shut the door and backed away.

No matter how much he wanted to go to her, he knew that he couldn't. It would be better if Caroline didn't know what was looming over her husband's head that had him so frightened.

* * *

><p>Caroline awoke from her slumber and realized that she has only slept for thirty minutes. As she shut her eyes again, she felt her lips quiver and before she could stop herself, her tears were coming and she was sobbing.<p>

She didn't know if Klaus was asleep yet, but she couldn't bring herself to care about what he would think. She knew for certain that he would think that she was weak, but she was tired of wearing that facade. In truth, she was exhausted and was worried about the child that grew within her womb. She knew that the stress that she was feeling wasn't good for her baby, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she heard the sound of the adjoining door being pushed open, but quickly returned to her crying even though she knew that he was watching her.

In all honesty, Caroline needed to let out everything that she was feeling and if that meant crying in front of the husband she thought loved her then that was going to be exactly what she did.

It was bad enough knowing that he kept a mistress on the side, but now she realized that she didn't want to have a husband that cheated on her, but she also knew that in the time period that they currently lived in, she didn't have much of a choice to do anything.

Gone were the days when she believed in fairytales and finding her prince… Of course, Klaus was exactly that when they first met, but now she knew the real him. Niklaus Mikaelson was a liar, cheater, and beyond all a man that felt absolutely nothing for her romantically.

She was brought out of her reverie when she heard the adjoining door closing and she sighed in relief because he didn't enter.

As the morning light glistened in through the windows, Caroline awoke with a sigh because she felt exhausted. After Klaus' little visit, she did fall asleep, but it was a restless night in which she tossed and turned.

Now that she was awake, she leaned against the headboard of her chaise and placed her hands protectively on her stomach.

"I have a child that I have to take care of." Caroline said out loud because she knew that she was alone and that Klaus was probably long gone. "Crying over a man that does not even deserve to have me as a wife is something that I will never do."

With a determined look on her face, Caroline stood up and decided to dress herself because she wasn't in the mood for her chatty lady's maid at the moment. As she pulled on her baby blue day dress, she knew what her next step would be. Once dressed, she let her golden curls fall freely and pasted a smile on her face that she hoped the servants would believe.

As she left her bedchamber, she stopped in front of Klaus' door, but immediately walked away. Even though things started to get rocky a couple of months ago, she would always say good morning to him, but that was not something that she would be doing anymore. Not unless he cleaned up his act.

When in the dining room, she felt her mouth water at the sight of all the food that was set on the long table. Once she had a plate in hand, she filled her plate with a bunch of food and smiled as she made her way to the seat.

As she was just about to dig into her food, she heard a voice come from behind her and she swallowed.

"Good morning, Caroline." Her husband said as he took a seat at the head of the table and she sat on the immediate right of him.

"Hello," she mumbled, not daring to look into his eyes.

"About last night…" He started.

"Stop right there." Caroline ordered as her eyes narrowed and finally looked over at him.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I was acting… I should have told you about my mistress, but I did not."

"You wanted to tell me about your mistress? You do realize that that is the stupidest bloody thing that has ever come out of your mouth, right? You shouldn't have had a mistress to begin with."

"I am a man, love… If I want a mistress, I will have one without a second thought because that is my right."

"Even though you have a young wife, right? From what I remember, all the times we shared the marital bed it was pleasurable for us both."

"Perhaps, but you are a gently bred lady and I cannot do what I want with you because it is inappropriate."

"Does it matter if it is inappropriate? Last time I checked, the only people that know about what goes on in a marital bed are the man and woman."

"I am not going to have this conversation with you, Caroline." He told her as he huffed in annoyance and took a bite out of the piece of bread covered in strawberry jam.

"Okay," she simply said. "I wanted to tell you something." The blonde added as she reached for a cheese danish.

"Is that so?" He wondered, the confusion evident in his voice.

"Yes," she responded.

"Alright then, do go on."

"I think that it would be best if I went back to my family... I am sure that they could use my help... After all, Damon's wife has given birth to a child recently."

"No," he immediately told her without a second thought as his eyes darkened.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I am not going to let you go back home, Caroline. We are married and you belong by my side."

"I would have agreed with that if it was not for your extracurricular activities, but I fear that I am done stressing over you and your inability to remain faithful. If you want your whore then by all means, but I will not stand idly by and act as the loving and devoting wife just to keep up appearances when you do not deserve it."

"Caroline, you are my wife meaning that you are my property and if I deem it necessary to keep you he-" Klaus started, but his wife interrupted him with anger in her tone.

"Stop right there, Klaus. Say another word and I will retaliate. Trust me on this- you will not like it."

"Car-"

"I am not your property and if you think that to be the case, you are obviously delusional. We may live in a time where that belief is something that most believe in, but I am not one of those people. If things were different between us, I would stay, but they are not and I have a feeling things will never be the same again."

"Caroline, I will not let you go back home. What will the people think?"

"I could care less," she told him, her voice innocent. Even though she thought that she could keep up appearances, she didn't think that it would work now that she understood what type of person Niklaus Mikaelson was.

"Is that so?" He questioned as his eyes narrowed and his lips formed into a thin line. "You will disgrace me, so?"

"Yes," she answered. "You are disgracing yourself by keeping a whore, so do not think that you will change my mind. I would much rather be surrounded by the people that I love and the people that never wronged me than to be around you. You disgust me, Klaus." She finally finished and with that she stood up and left the dining hall with her plate in hand.

She was eating for two, after all.

* * *

><p>He sat at the head of the table for a long while and only when he heard the door bell ringing did he get out of his reverie.<p>

The butler ushered Kol Mikaelson into the dining hall and Klaus nodded at his younger brother.

"Not in the mood, are you?" Kol questioned as he gathered a plate for himself.

"What are you doing here, Kol?" Klaus asked with a tired sigh.

"I was in town and thought that I would drop by. Is that little blonde hoyden already keeping you on your feet?"

"Let us not talk about my wife, Kol. I do not wish to discuss my marriage with you."

"Ah..." Kol said. "Trouble in paradise, huh? And here we all thought what you had was a love match."

"Enough!" He commanded as he pounded his fist on the table.

"Fine," Kol said and shrugged before he dug into the food with complete and utter gusto.

"Why are you in town?" Klaus asked a couple of minutes later.

"I have some business that I have to attend to this afternoon, but right after I will be back on my way to the country."

Caroline decided to enter the dining hall at that moment and she sat down beside Kol with a big smile on her lips.

"There she is," Kol smiled warmly as he pressed a kiss to Caroline's cheek.

Klaus growled under his breath, but both Kol and Caroline decided to ignore him.

"How are you doing, darling?" Kol questioned as he put his hand around the blonde's shoulder.

"Perfect, Kol. How about you?"

"I'm doing quite well, thank you. How is the marriage life treating you?"

"No comment," Caroline answered.

"So, I was right... There is trouble in paradise even though I was certain that what you had with my big brother was a love match one hundred percent."

"A love match?" Caroline scoffed. "That is far from the truth, I'm afraid."

"Caroline," Klaus warned as he leveled his gaze with hers.

"Hm?" She questioned innocently, her bright blue eyes wide. "Kol is family, Klaus and if I wish to talk to him about our troubles then I will do just that."

"Caroline, say another word and I will send you to your bedchamber."

"Oh, Klaus..." Caroline said with a shake of her head. "The only people that had a right to send me to my bedchamber were my parents, but now that I am married there is nobody that can tell me what to do, not even you, dear."

Kol chuckled as he brought Caroline closer to his side affectionately, but in a strictly brotherly way.

"Release my wife this instant, Kol!" Klaus ordered as his hands clenched into fists.

"Kol, did you know that your brother took on a mistress?"

"A mistress?" Kol questioned, dumbfounded. "Why in the hell would you do such a thing if you have the honor of having Caroline as your wife? She is a catch, after all. We all love her and you know it."

"So maybe you should have married her, then."

"I would have if I wasn't so enamored with her darling friend, little Miss Bennett."

With a dazzling smile, Caroline got a glint in her eyes that Klaus didn't like.

"Kol, may I go back to the country with you? I miss your family terribly!"

"Of course!" He said with a dazzling smile on his lips. "Rebekah and the whole gang wanted to visit you, but if you come back with me that will be even better!"

"Perfect," she smiled happily. "When will we leave?"

"As soon as I return from my meeting."

"Very good!" She told him and jumped up with a clap of her hands and excitement in her eyes.

"Nik, will you be coming as well?"

"No, he has a mistress here that he wishes to spend time with. You know him... He always was selfish."

"And yet you married him anyway." Kol sighed heavily.

"Only because I was blinded by my feelings for him, but those feelings are long gone- thank god!" She told Kol even though she knew that there was a good chance that thise words would hurt her husband.

Klaus inwardly winced when he heard his wife's words and almost jumped out of his seat because he wanted to beg for forgiveness, but he kept himself steady. He would not make a fool out of himself even though the woman that he truly loved was slipping away as the seconds progressed.

He would make things right, eventually... He had to.

* * *

><p>There you have it! I hope this chapter was alright :)<p>

Please Leave Feedback!

~Hana :p


End file.
